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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/23646196">Paper Trails</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sky_Chau/pseuds/Sky_Chau'>Sky_Chau</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Sonic the Hedgehog (2020), Sonic the Hedgehog - All Media Types</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Agent stones first name is Stone, Detective N makes really boring Emails but is otherwise a humorous narrator, Fluff, I read it out loud in character anyway, I swear everything after chapter 2 will be funny and just a good time, M/M, You heard me, agent stones full name is Stone Stone Stone, chapters are short for flow reasons, everyone is stupid, if you liked the martian or 17776 you'll probably jive with this, more tags will be added as i add new chapters because I don't want to spoil anything, not designed to be a podfic, the soundcloud audio is completely optional, theyre gay but like quietly</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-04-14</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-04-23</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-02 21:42:00</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>5</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>4,829</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/23646196</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sky_Chau/pseuds/Sky_Chau</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>A recount of the events in Stone's life between the doctors disappearance and his return to earth as written by a very tired detective trying  to find the connection between Dr. Robotnik and Agent Stone.</p><p>This story is told through a collection of emails, diary entries, journals and facebook posts with help from Detective N's wonderful narrations like this one:<br/> "My faith in society has been abandoned in a field, buried next to my dying corpse."</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Dr. Eggman | Dr. Robotnik &amp; Agent Stone, Dr. Eggman | Dr. Robotnik/Agent Stone</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>10</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>47</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Intro</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Detective N. gets the keys to the castle.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <iframe></iframe>
</p>
<p>In case you are unaware, on December 25th of 2021 a man who the government erased from existence, returned to earth with a bang. He blew up the San Francisco facilities, killing just under 30 people. Eyewitnesses say he took Secret Service (SS) Agent Stone with him before disappearing into the night. All of Robotnik Tech has suddenly gone haywire and the very fundamentals of US security have been compromised as a result. Still no word from the missing Agent.</p>
<p>Robotnik was as far as I can gather a secret military engineer, known for his dramatic flare and distaste for all of mankind. The man had a reputation for being a nightmare to work with. He was important enough to have a SS Agent by his side. (Important Note: Looking at Agent Stones file, his reassignment date lines up with an insubordination charge. It’s quite likely someone in the offices thought it would be funny to assign him to Dr. Robotnik as a punishment.)</p>
<p>The more I ask around the less sense all of this makes. Why would an insubordinate Agent do well under a hard-ass like Robotnik? And more importantly, what about the doctor made him risk his job in order to go into hiding with him. There has to be something I’m missing here. </p>
<p>It’s clear the government did not anticipate his return. Government files frequently show signs of alteration, official documentation is truly a lost cause. Whatever this was they really wanted to cover it up. There’s not a single file on record about this man, as far as they were concerned dead men needed no files. Mistakes were made. In order to fill this gap of information the US Government has hired my detective services. My job is to recover forgotten information about a man who never existed from the only person who seemed to care about his disappearance: SS Agent Stone.</p>
<p>It is currently December 27th of 2021, and unfortunately, the Agent is completely absent. However, he did leave his phone, a laptop and a metric ton of Notebooks behind. There’s A lot to catch up on. I would like to start by putting all of his various entries in order by date and time. I do not currently have the security clearance or technical ability to crack into the man’s Laptop, is there any way I could get clearance for that? Files will be marked and dated in DSE (Days Since Erasure). It may seem tedious now but by retracing his steps I’m certain this will piece together a larger picture. Id be happy to share with you my findings as I slog through it all.</p>
<p>Sincerely, Detective N.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Thank you for reaching out to me Detective, it seems you’re in luck. Under normal circumstance this kind of security clearance would not be granted to a private entity. This is not normal circumstance. A lacky from security should be on his way to deliver you the keys to the castle. Have fun and do keep me posted.</p>
<p>-Representative John Smith</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Yolktechnic</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>This is what your tax dollars are going to.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <iframe></iframe>
</p><p>
  <b> DSE 1 through 3: </b>
</p><p> No entries from Stone. According to an early case file, Agent Stone’s coworkers were eager to forget about Robotnik’s existence. Stone reportedly threw quite the tantrum and had to be sedated. The government had to create an elaborate ruse, in order to convince the Agent he had gone into a coma about a month before his insubordination charge and subsequent reassignment. </p><p>There was an entire team of people who for 2 days straight were paid to go into the agent’s home, office and other places he frequents, without a warrant for the sole purpose of gaslighting him. Hey uh, if anyone is reading this, what dystopian nightmare government is this? Who thought it would be a good idea to spend thousands of US tax dollars on anesthesia and home cleaning in order to convince the agent that the past few months of his life were actually an elaborate fever dream he made up while in a COMA, instead of I dunno, letting him in on the secret? I’d like to meet the dumbass who came up with that plan.</p><p>I’m sorry for whatever lackey gets stuck reading this, but really, you can’t just lie to people like that and then act surprised when they go off the rails and start hiding things.</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>  DSE 4:  </b>
</p><p>According  to medical records, Stone was released from the hospital at 9 AM. </p><p> </p><p>Email sent 12:04 PM</p><p>
  <b> <em>I apologize for my absence. I wasn’t exactly planning to go into a coma on such short notice. Judging by the fact that anarchy hasn’t taken over the streets, I think it’s safe to assume the government got on just fine without me :)</em> </b>
</p><p>
  <b> <em>I’m a little confused right now. I showed up to work and I no longer have badge clearance to enter the laboratory. </em> </b>
</p><p>
  <b> <em>… Do I still have a job?</em> </b>
</p><p>
  <b> <em>-Agent Stone (Secret Service)</em> </b>
</p><p> </p><p>Stone logs onto Facebook at around the same time and makes a status update for his tiny list of friends</p><p>
  <b> <em>“Just woke up from a coma. What’d I miss?” </em> </b>
</p><p> </p><p>A Girl posts a comment on his status</p><p>
  <b> <em>“lol. like you actually used fb in the first place. tbh i didn’t notice you were gone. you never post anything here. </em> </b>
</p><p>
  <b> <em>there was a massive power outage this week. i think it broke a record. other than that i don’t think you’ve missed much. :D”</em> </b>
</p><p> </p><p>She’s 15 and shares his last name. The age difference implies she's his cousin and not his sister. Either way, it doesn’t matter. She’s not terribly relevant to his life so I don’t feel the need to go in depth with her.</p><p> </p><p>Stone replies</p><p>
  <b> <em>“That’s funny, I had a dream about a blue hedgehog causing a power outage across all of North America”</em> </b>
</p><p>
  <b> <em>“i dunno about the hedgehog part but that DID happen. like for real.” </em> </b>
</p><p>
  <b> <em>“I guess I’m psychic ;)”</em> </b>
</p><p>
  <b> <em>“okay boomer.” </em> </b>
</p><p>
  
</p><p> </p><p>The following Email was read at 5:47 PM the same day.</p><p>
  <b> <em>Welcome back, Agent!</em> </b>
</p><p>
  <b> <em>I’m as confused as you are. You’ve never worked in that trailer. Not sure why you think you need to be in there. Unless you got reassigned without me knowing, I don’t think you need that level of clearance. </em> </b>
</p><p>
  <b> <em>-Stevens</em> </b>
</p><p> </p><p>Reply sent 6:00 PM</p><p>
  <b> <em>Wait what? </em> </b>
</p><p>
  <b> <em>I was working in there with Dr. Robotnik. </em> </b>
</p><p>
  <b> <em>-Agent Stone (Secret Service)</em> </b>
</p><p> </p><p>Reply read 6:18 PM</p><p>
  <b> <em>No such man has ever existed. Are you okay, Stone? You were out for a while. If you need more time to collect yourself I’d understand.</em> </b>
</p><p>
  <b> <em>-Stevens</em> </b>
</p><p> </p><p>Reply sent 6:26 PM</p><p>
  <b> <em>I’m fine. It must have been a dream. Sorry to worry you.  I just could’ve sworn he was my boss at some point.</em> </b>
</p><p>
  <b> <em>-Agent Stone (Secret Service)</em> </b>
</p><p> </p><p>In digging I found his Google Search history. The list explains itself.</p><p>
  <b> <em>“Dr. Robotnik”</em> </b>
</p><p>
  <b> <em>“Ivo Robotnik”</em> </b>
</p><p>
  <b> <em>“Robotnik Tech”</em> </b>
</p><p>
  <b> <em>“Drone Tech”</em> </b>
</p><p> </p><p>I went out and googled all these terms myself. The first 3 terms have no search results. The last term has a plethora of articles about Robotnik’s inventions, however none of them use the name. It appears the censorship dogs merely scrubbed his name from his work. </p><p>‘Robotnik Tech’ has been renamed ‘Yolktechnic’.</p><p>‘Dr. Robotnik’ has been replaced with ‘Yolktechnic CEO’</p><p> </p><p>He makes exactly one journal entry that day, pointing out the flaws in the government’s censorship.</p><p>
  <b> <em>Who the fuck is Yolktechnic’s CEO? Why don’t they have a name? </em> </b>
</p><p>
  
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Hope you all are enjoying this. I really should tag this as a slow burn but I don't think this will do well in that particular market.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Stone Stone Stone</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Detective N. needs that door card.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <iframe></iframe>
</p><p>
  <strong>DSE 5:</strong>
</p><p> </p><p>I almost missed this one while I was putting things in chronological order. Taking a brief glance at the timestamps in all his future writings, he seems to have a bit of a witching hour. His sleep schedule much like my own is best described as whimsical and a hazard to the general public. I will note that at some point he does appear to stop writing at night entirely, at least in the digital world where I can put a definitive time stamp on things. Notebooks are a much different story. I’m still working to see if I can map the quality of Stones handwriting to different times of day.</p><p> </p><p>Stone makes this post to Facebook at 3 AM</p><p> </p><p>
  <strong>
    <em>“Tried to work in the wrong building today. I don’t know what’s real or what was just a dream and I don’t know what to do. Anyone know a place I can go to get help?”</em>
  </strong>
</p><p> </p><p>To which the same commenter from last time cleverly comments</p><p> </p><p>
  <strong>
    <em>“bed.”</em>
  </strong>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <strong>
    <em>“Shouldn’t you also be in bed, Pattie? I don’t think you have any room to judge.”</em>
  </strong>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <strong>
    <em>“yeah but im a delinquent teen. ur like an adult. supposed to have ur shit together or somthin.”</em>
  </strong>
</p><p> </p><p>(I found out Pattie here is actually Stone’s little sister, contrary to my previous assumptions.)</p><p> </p><p>
  <strong>
    <em>“Hahah, that’s a funny joke. Also language”</em>
  </strong>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <strong>
    <em>“okay boomer. u sound like ur having delusions. might have to go to therapy or something.”</em>
  </strong>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <strong>
    <em>“Are you suggesting I see a PSYCHologist”</em>
  </strong>
</p><p>
  
</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>
  <strong>
    <em>“u do know i watch other shows now right? psych ended like 5 years ago. i haven’t watched that show since i was 10”</em>
  </strong>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <strong>
    <em>“You’ll always be 10 to me, Pat.”</em>
  </strong>
</p><p> </p><p>He logs off for the night and presumably writes himself this To Do list in his notes. He keeps notes like I do, all one notebook until it’s full, everything I could ever need to remember later gets written there regardless of subject.</p><p> </p><p>
  <strong>
    <em>“To Do:</em>
  </strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>
    <em>-Find a therapist</em>
  </strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>
    <em>-Email Stevens</em>
  </strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>
    <em>-Run to Target</em>
  </strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>
    <em>-Catch up on Grey’s Anatomy”</em>
  </strong>
</p><p> </p><p>I would like to point out that Grey’s Anatomy isn’t code for anything. The show is STILL running and he does appear to actively keep up with it. I’m genuinely impressed he’s kept up with it for this long and I think it says something about who he is as a person. As someone who sifts through hours of boring melodramatic accounts for a living, I find that show nigh unwatchable. I sincerely think any person capable of sitting through it with any sliver of enjoyment, is either a masochist or stubbornly loyal to the things they like even as they objectively deteriorate in quality.</p><p> </p><p>Stone probably has some issues.</p><p> </p><p>Email Sent 7:04 AM</p><p> </p><p>
  <strong>
    <em>Good morning, Mr. Stevens</em>
  </strong>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <strong>
    <em>I thought about what you said yesterday, and I would like to take some time off to see a therapist before returning to work. Can I get that approved?</em>
  </strong>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <strong>
    <em>-Agent Stone (Secret Service)</em>
  </strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>
    
  </strong>
</p><p>Email Read 7:49 AM</p><p> </p><p>
  <strong>
    <em>Good morning to you too,</em>
  </strong>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <strong>
    <em>Yes, I can give you at most another week. Will that be sufficient?</em>
  </strong>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <strong>
    <em>-Stevens</em>
  </strong>
</p><p> </p><p>Reply Sent 8:06 AM</p><p> </p><p>
  <strong>
    <em>I think so, yes. Thank you so much for the flexibility. I’ll return as soon as I feel I’m able to perform.</em>
  </strong>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <strong>
    <em>-Agent Stone (Secret Service)</em>
  </strong>
</p><p> </p><p>After that he makes four calls to four different numbers, all of which I’ve confirmed to be from medical offices. Looking at his calendar, he successfully books an appointment for the next day, thus bringing me to DSE 6.</p><p> </p><p>
  <strong>DSE 6:</strong>
</p><p> </p><p>I think his therapist told him to start a diary because he has a reminder on his phone that day labeled “diary” so I know he has one. Problem is, none of the notebooks I’ve found are diaries. He seems to have left it in a residence the US government doesn’t want me to have access to.</p><p>He did nothing else of note on day 6. He binged Grays Anatomy. That’s pretty much it. Which leads me to naively hope that his first diary entry will be a big one. Too bad I don’t have access to the other residences.</p><p> So I am at a standstill until I can find that diary, I guess I’ll just scroll through the man’s Facebook and cross my fingers.</p><p> </p><p>As a detective, I like to pride myself on being observant. It’s really the only thing we’re good at. So I just noticed that Agent Stone’s name on Facebook is Stone Stone. It seems like a joke, right? Nobody would carry a child for nine months just to have its first and last name be Stone. That’s just not a real thing that people do. The only logical explanation I can think of for such an event occurring is that his parents wanted Stone to be a mononym but couldn’t legally do that. This scenario I just described is unlikely.</p><p>This isn’t relevant to fucking anything, mind you. I only write this because I’m going to lose it if I don’t tell anyone. Okay, I did some digging; I found some things I really wish I didn’t. In searching for this man’s legal name, I found out he also has a middle name. You want to know what it is? What dishonorable middle name drove a distinguished detective to the brink of insanity?</p><p>It’s Stone.  His middle name is Stone. His full legal name is Stone Stone Stone. Now one might assume that it’s supposed to be a mononym. But there’s one major flaw with this explanation. The US government only requires a first and last name. Middle names are an optional practice. Which brings me to the only possible conclusion.</p><p>Stone Stone Stone was named Stone Stone Stone because it was meant to be read Stone Stone Stone and I am about to go FERAL. This man either lived his life as Stone Stone Stone and made the conscious decision not to fucking change it, or even worse, He had a real first middle and last name and spent real US currency and hours in court in order to legally change his name to Stone Stone Stone, AND THE COURT ALLOWED IT.</p><p> I am so done. My faith in society has been abandoned in a field, buried next to my dying corpse. Who knows, maybe I’ll find Stone’s diary there when I go to dig it back up.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>
  <em>Dear John,</em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em> I would like to mention Stones living arrangements. Stone like most other Secret Service Agents has living quarters on site that he is expected to reside in while on duty. Along with the provided quarters, I am aware that he has another residence he stays in on the weekends. Every time the US reassigns an agent, they get new quarters. Presumably He lived in a room attached to the lab while working under Dr. Robotnik, which makes for three case relevant locations.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>As of December 30</em>
  <em>
    <sup>th,</sup>
  </em>
  <em> 2021, I only have access to one of them. I may have the keys to the castle, but I do not have the cards to open the doors or a copy of Stone’s house key. To be frank, I don’t think you have them either. Sure, Uncle Sam says they have the means to open the door, but I see right through this dystopian hell governments little façade. There’s a lot of time and effort going into making the US government look like it has things under control, what with all of Robotnik Tech going haywire.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>The trailer hasn’t moved since Stone last parked it in San Francisco. Stone couldn’t access it his first day back which means higher ups swapped out his door card while they sedated him. IE: you should have a card to give me. You said it yourself that these are not normal circumstances and many security measures will be overlooked for this case. If you are for whatever reason unable to locate the card, I’d suggest you stop wasting tax dollars and be honest with me, so I can help you find it.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>How exactly did you lose the door card John?</em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>With much annoyance, Detective N.</em>
</p><p>
  
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>The plot thickens.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Road Trip</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>The government continues to be incompetent.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Alright,Detective N.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span> I will tell you, but you must not breathe a word of this to anyone.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>The doorcard at some point between the time it was confiscated and now, has been replaced by a hotel doorcard.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>-Representative John Smith</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Hey John,</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>What hotel was it?</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Continued annoyance, Detective N.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Please calm down Detective,</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>It has come to my attention that the experts have only been able to identify the coding style to that of a hotel. It is not currently impossible to find out which one exactly. I understand you are frustrated, I suggest you finish working on the case with the evidence that you have until more can be accessed.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>-Representative John Smith</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>John,</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Can I have the doorcard?</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Seriously, Detective N.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>I’ll see what I can do.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>-Representative John Smith</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>I don’t know what’s more baffling about this. The fact that the experts for all their time and degrees cannot track down a hotel by it’s door cards or the fact that hightech government cyber security non-replicable door cards are visibly indistinguishable from the cheap plastic cards that hotels use. Seriously even corporate entities have sturdier cards with custom engravings. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>So for now we are skipping DSE 6 until further notice.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>DSE 7:</b>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Stone makes a To Do list. He makes an awful lot of these. His writing in notebooks and online decreases dramatically after DSE 6. His To Do lists match up with things he does the following day. So a list written on 1 DSE would be checked off on DSE 2.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>
    <em>“TO DO:</em>
  </b>
</p><p>
  <b>
    <em>-DRYCLEANING</em>
  </b>
</p><p>
  <b>
    <em>-visit family</em>
  </b>
</p><p>
  <b>
    <em>-Run to Walmart and  buy more pens”</em>
  </b>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>The first thing I notice is that “visit family” never gets crossed off the list. He could have forgotten, but this man is very consistent with how he marks things off. He most likely never did visit his family. Additionally with the knowledge that he seems to write his To Do lists the night before he does them, I have deduced that Stone wrote drycleaning in all caps after having a middle of the night epiphany. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>(NOTE: DSE 7 is suspected to have missing entries and will be updated at a later date.)</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>DSE 8: </b>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>So today he went to the drycleaners and bought pens from walmart. His notes are written in a slightly different color to show for it. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>I get that I’m missing entries here, and I know that he’s mentally going through alot. Knowing this does not stop me from thinking this man is leading a life that is rather unremarkable, Suspiciously so. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>True to Pattie’s earlier comments, Stone doesn’t spend a lot of time on social media.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He writes another to do list</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>
    <em>“TO DO:</em>
  </b>
</p><p>
  <b>
    <em>-Roadtrip!</em>
  </b>
</p><p>
  <b>
    <em>-buy a phone charger”</em>
  </b>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>This seems pretty normal. He’s been through a lot, he goes on vacation and buys a phone charger for his car.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>I checked his search history to see if I could get any clues on where he was going. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>His search terms for the day include the following</span>
</p><p>
  <b>
    <em>“blue hedgehog”</em>
  </b>
</p><p>
  <b>
    <em>“power outage”</em>
  </b>
</p><p>
  <b>
    <em>“Trivago”</em>
  </b>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It’s important to note that he still appears to have fallen for the government's coma ruse. He has given no significant indications that would lead me to believe he thinks of the past few months of his life as anything other than a dream. “Blue hedgehog” could be him trying to figure out where his dream got the imagery. Or it could be a sign that he's onto something.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>I googled the term myself and I’m a tad confused. There’s no search results. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Which is really odd considering my husband had been telling me stories about a blue hedgehog at around the same time. I know it’s a real thing that should be documented somewhere. I suppose we can add that to the list of things this dystopian hell government has decided to cover up.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Power outage” has completely normal search results. My guess is that he was curious about what Pattie said. He may be trying to connect some dots but without any other entries to go off of it would be a stretch to say he’s found out about the government's ruse.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Trivago” is pretty self explanatory. He’s going on a road trip so he books a hotel. Much like government experts, I have no way of tracking down which one he booked. Difference here is that I don’t boast  a degree in cyber-whatnots. Speaking of which, call it a hunch but I’ve got a Detective Tingle(™) telling me that the swapped keycard was originally obtained on this road trip. Too bad I don’t know where he went...</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <strong>DSE 9:</strong>
</p><p>
  <span>Except I do know where he went.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Great news! His only entry is actually really helpful this time.  I’ve mentioned before that both Agent Stone and I seem to use notebooks in a similar fashion. Even down to the style of notation. His next set of notes looks exactly like something one might find in my investigation notes. This man isn't investigating Robotnik, He’s searching for the blue hedgehog. (not the kind of information I was looking for but still the best lead I have.)</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>His notes for the day include:</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>
    <em>“the blue hedgehogs name is sonic”</em>
  </b>
</p><p>
  <b>
    <em>“everyone hates him (try to sound mad?)”</em>
  </b>
</p><p>
  <b>
    <em>“tom is unhelpful”</em>
  </b>
</p><p>
  <b>
    <em>“the deputy is an idiot”</em>
  </b>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>There’s only one town I know that has a man named Tom, A blue devil, and my husband. GREEN HILLS. (Also how dare he insult my husband. That's MY job!)</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>That narrows down the search to three hotels. Looks like I get to come home early. </span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I really hope yall are enjoying Detective N.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Christmas Intermission (With The Boys)</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Ivo's return written from stones perspective.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>In case you haven't re-read recently I would like to mention I've inserted recordings of me reading this fic in character. I wouldn't call it a podfic because it's more or less just an in character audiobook. Currently 1 through 3 are recorded for. More are on the way. Probably won't voice the Intermissions.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>December 25th</p><p>When the Doctor said he would be home by Christmas I believed him. When he said he was going to aim for the San Francisco facilities I like a sane person assumed he’d land in the parking lot or crash in the open field next to the building. What I seem to have missed here is the fact that Dr. Robotnik is not a sane person. His ship just rammed itself into the building causing a massive explosion.</p><p>I stand there, staring at the fiery aftermath out the window, not in shock, no I have come to expect this exact brand of absurdity from the doctor. I only ponder if he did that on accident or for dramatic effect. Enough pondering. I grab a set of clothes and a coffee; lord knows at least one of us will need it.</p><p>By the time I get there the building is already on fire and the ship is in multiple pieces. What remains of the ship is sadly vacant, the doctor is nowhere in sight. I look around rather confused. There is a bald man crying about five yards away. He has very obviously survived the explosion, his face is dirty, his clothes are tattered. He’s on the heavier side but not in a way that would imply laziness. It looks more like malnutrition.</p><p>And then I hear it. I listen in to the soft cries of the man. That sounds like- No it couldn’t be. Is that really?</p><p>“Doctor Robotnik?” I ask fearing the answer. I honestly don’t know which answer would be worse. A no would mean Robotnik is somewhere in the rubble. A yes would mean that he is returned a very broken man. Either option is less than ideal.</p><p>“Fuck off, can’t you see I’m mourning?” The man screeches not even bothering to look in my direction.</p><p>I wince. That’s definitely Robotnik. The poor guy. “Sir?”</p><p>“What do you not get about this? Agent Stone just died!”</p><p>What? The fuck? “Really…?”, Is this what he meant when he called me an imposter? I raise a brow at him trying not to wince. This should be interesting.</p><p>
  
</p><p>The doctor’s head bolts up and he looks back at me with tears in his eyes “…Agent Stone?”</p><p>“That’s my name yes… Would you like a latte?” I hold the cup out and it’s only a matter of seconds before Robotnik is snatching it from my hands like a rabid kleptomaniac. He chugs is down like he hadn’t seen a beverage in years.</p><p>“What-? Of course!” He finishes the cup discarding it over his shoulder “I love the way you make them”</p><p>He hugs me violently, catching me by surprise. It hurt a little bit. Not about to judge him for that though. I hug back and pat his shoulder to the best of my ability given how full my hands are. “Oh- I brought fresh clothes like you asked.”</p><p>“The transmissions were you?“ He pushes me away “ W-WHo ordered you to contact me?” He sounds accusatory.</p><p>“No one, I’m committing a crime by being here.”</p><p>“Why??” he scowls “what do you have to gain from this? Do you expect some kind of reward?!” the doctor laughs maniacally.</p><p>“I know better than to expect anything but callous from you.” I sigh taking a deep breath. “I missed you.” Why do I feel like I’m about to cry?</p><p>“You really are a fool, Stone.” He laughs at my sincerity, wiping away his own tears.</p><p>“I know.” There’s the tears. God, I’m so stupid. Of course, it was all a game to him. This whole time, all the transmissions, as much a ruse as everything else in my life. I’m just another government flesh heap wrapped around his little finger. He did what he does best, playing with my feelings to get what he wants.</p><p>“Ah fuck I broke it-“ he grumbles and pulls me into yet another smelly embrace, “C’mere” The gesture is nice but the man does still smell like roadkill.</p><p>I accept the hug anyway, “lets get you out of here.” It’s hard to refrain from kissing him right then and there. I missed him so much.</p><p>“but-“ Robotnik gestures to his ship.</p><p>“You’re a wanted man Doctor“ I protest as he goes to his ship anyway. He pulls out the quill. That thing still works?  “Come on, let’s GO.” I snap open my car door and the ratty mustache man comes running.  </p><p>The car ride takes an hour, but finally we arrive out in the middle of nowhere. I book a hotel and pay in cash. Harder to track that way. First order of business Robotnik needs to SHOWER, so I leave him to it while I run to Walmart grabbing clothes that might actually fit the man, food because I have a feeling he hasn’t been eating well despite his weight gain, and Aloe for that sunburn.</p><p>When I enter the hotel room, I’m faced with a very red faced Robotnik. The button-up shirt I brought him originally is not exactly fitting. I would like to think the red face was because he’s embarrassed to be caught without pants. I am forever burdened with the curse of knowledge and cannot think such things. He has no shame in such things. He is simply frustrated about the shirt.  </p><p>“try this” I toss him a bag full of very basic solid color long sleeve shirts and black leggings. They were cheap and I know they’ll fit.</p><p>“thanks” Robotnik mumbles. The lack of meltdowns is pleasant but concerning. I half expected him to throw a fit.</p><p>“You hungry?” I as out of courtesy. I know the answer is yes.</p><p>Robotnik nods his eyes lighting up at the very prospect of food. I place a ready-made sandwich on the hotel table. It’s gone within seconds. It’s cute and incredibly sad to watch him act like this cheap Walmart sandwich is the best food he’s ever eaten. “Are you okay…?”</p><p>“Yeah, just hungry”</p><p>“There’s fruit in the bag if you want more.” I glance at the time. It’s almost 4 AM. Stripping down to my boxers and a tank top, I tuck myself into bed. Robotnik can do whatever his grown ass wants to so long as it's quiet. An hour passes, and I am sound asleep until I feel Robotnik climb into bed with me. I grumble at him half asleep, “what are you doing?”.</p><p>“Sleeping…”</p><p>“mk” I go to take the other bed under the assumption he just wanted the one next to the air conditioner. I pass out immediately only to be woken up again by Robotnik and his stupid puppy dog eyes.</p><p>“I’m not sleeping without you.”</p><p>I roll over with a huff. “I love you sir, but I paid for two beds.”</p><p>Robotnik clings to me like a magnet. I sigh, “next time can you tell me before I book the room?”</p><p>“I suppose” He pushes his face into my chest. Minutes of silence before the man speaks up again “I was right, you know.”</p><p>Musing him on this, hoping to get him to go to sleep, I respond with a halfhearted “you always are...”</p><p>“On that planet, I didn’t miss you” My heart aches at the sound of that. Why is he telling me this?</p><p>“I saw you replaced me with a rock,” I blink at the ceiling.</p><p>“You’re like water to me, Stone. You cannot miss what you cannot live without. You are fundamental to my very existence. I need you.” He leans in close to my face. Sitting there, nose to nose. My face flushes, I’m too tired to think about what comes next. We kiss and it’s so good it gives me life in the same breath it drains it from me. Neither of us had made out like this with anyone since we were teens. </p><p>I have to pull away “Ivo, please go to sleep.”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Will definitely add art to this chapter (as well as other chapters) at a later date. Should keep it fresh yeah?</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
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